February 9, 2012

... Stephen Glasser, an optometrist in downtown Washington, tells ITK that while they might seem harmless, glitter bombs can cause real damage: “If it gets into the eyes, the best scenario is it can irritate, it can scratch. Worst scenario is it can actually create a cut. As the person blinks, it moves the glitter across the eye and can actually scratch the cornea.” Although not likely, it can even cause a potential loss of sight.

That’s almost what happened to one of Glasser’s patients, who was out at a New Year’s Eve soiree where partygoers were tossing glitter around: “It literally scratched not the cornea, but the white of the eye … [S]ince [glitter isn’t] exactly what you’d call sterile, there’s not only a chance of a scratch, but giving the person an infection.”...

“If the person’s breathing in, it can be drawn up into the nose and into the sinuses and cause one hell of an infection that’s difficult to get rid of because it’s literally an object... that highly irritates the tissue,” says the doctor.

Is this enough to dispel the illusion that glitter bombing is fabulous and funny?

All along, it has seemed like some form of assault to me because of the possibility of real harm being done. I hope the charges don't get dropped. There should be consequences. just like for the kid who hacked Sarah Palin's email.

"Provocateurs who hit Willie Brown, then the mayor of San Francisco, with three pies in 1998 to protest his policies toward the homeless were convicted on misdemeanor battery charges and sentenced to six months in prison."

Why do not laws against assault and battery cover these pie throwing and glitter bombing cretins? Take em out and shoot em--the problem goes away. (oops--not politically correct--freedom of speech and all that jive fucking bull shit)

I got a scratched cornea when I was a kid (wrong end of a snowball). It was painful, but worst was that I wasn't allowed to read or watch TV for about 10 days. Moving one eye moves the other; moving the scratched eye delays healing. Lying in bed for 10 days, staring at the ceiling while feeling perfectly healthy really bit it.

It's obviously a form of terrorism because at first the candidate doesn't know what hit them. It could be anthrax, or some other poisonous substance. The bodyguards should shoot anyone who's in the act of throwing something at a candidate. There's no time to wait and see what's been thrown.

And in Europe, such pies were found to contain adulterants such as lye and HIV-infected semen.

I personally wrote that jackass sheriff [Dupnil] (the same guy in the Jared Loughner affair when Ann Coulter was pied, providing him with the European story links, and suggesting that those pies be tested. He wrote back saying that of course he would not test it. Besides it had already been destroyed. They told him they had baked the pies themselves. He didn't respond when I told him that cream pies were not baked.

Liberals are responsible people, right? Once they are made aware that glitter bombing is not harmless, they will stop, and will instead create new and better ways to express themselves politically.

Besides, glitter bombing is old now... and it doesn't get the media attention.

You need to get the media attention! Otherwise, what's the point? Might as well just sputter your political opinions in your pajamas, on a blog like this one. (Or on a liberal echo-chamber blog if you want to do it the easy way!)

bagoh20, I generally agree, but I don't think there was ever a time when we enjoyed having random people throw stuff in our faces.

Of course, back then the 90-pound weakling would go take some classes from Charles Atlas and punch the next guy who tried it. Whereas now all interpersonal conflict must be mediated via lawyers, public health officials, and cops with tasers.

I can assure you that actual banana cream (and butterscotch and lemon meringue) pies are all baked.

There might be no-bake recipes out there, but those aren't really pies. This is my domain, Darrell, please don't attempt to argue with me on this point.

The real danger here is: This sort of glitter-bombing and pie-throwing is effectively a dry run. After tackling dozens of harmless but obnoxious glitter bombers, security people are going to be just a little less quick to respond with appropriate levels of defensive aggression to a real assassin.

"Here's another stupid kid rushing the stage," they'll think. "I wonder if it's banana or coconut cream?" And they don't even bother to unsnap the strap on their holster, and they approach not with an attitude of preventing an assassination, but with concern about injuring this kid being vilified as an anti-free-speech brownshirt goon; and then the kid pulls out a handgun instead of a pastry.

And in the end I think that's what these anarchists with their glitter and pie really want -- blood. They're just too squeamish and cowardly to pull the trigger themselves.

I'm not sure what these people who throw glitter are attempting to "say" or accomplish, but one thing is certain... If they are mentally unstable enough to pull a stunt like that, and can get close enough to throw glitter, it's only a matter of time before something really bad happens.

It seems like they might be testing the waters, feeling out the security and seeing how close they can get before they do something really stupid, so I'd like to see this nonsense nipped in the bud.

And all that domestic spying, unnecessary use of gratuitous force by the police, wrong-door raids, the TSA and whatnot are a not-so-giggly way of reminding people that they are already dominated by their rulers. Get down on the ground so your better can put his boot on your head, motherfucker!

Guy in Ohio, it wouldn't be difficult to mix a small amount of biohazard in with the glitter and hand it off to some fool to "glitter bomb" some politician they don't like.It's also an attempt at political intimidation I can get close enough to you to do this .

For example, [Dan Savage] wrote that in 2000, suffering from the flu while on an assignment for salon.com to cover the Iowa caucuses,[21] he was so angered by televised remarks in opposition to same-sex marriage by conservative Republican presidential hopeful Gary Bauer that he abandoned his original plan "to follow one of the loopy conservative Christian candidates around — Bauer or Alan Keyes — and write something insightful and humanizing about him, his campaign, and his supporters."[22] Instead, he volunteered for the Bauer campaign with the intent to infect the candidate with his flu. He wrote that he licked doorknobs and other objects in the campaign office, and handed Bauer a saliva-coated pen, hoping to pass the virus on to Bauer and his supporters (though he later said that much of the article had been fictitious). He also registered and participated in the caucus, which was illegal, as Savage was not an Iowa resident.

Um, the 'right' certainly holds no license to fascism, Julius. If you knew what fascism was, you would not make that mistake. BTW, look up 'eugenics'...go ahead - of particular interest of early 'progressives'. Use the intellectually-lazy Wikipedia if you wish.

The real fascism today resides on the political left side of the spectrum.

The pie shells are baked using pie weights. The custards--cooked on the stove, then chilled, and the whipped cream are added and refrigerated again. Meringues are a different story, but they're not cream pies, are they? If you are baking a custard/whipped cream pie why would I attempt to argue with such a deranged person?

When I was a kid one of my buddies got hassled by the Pennsylvania State Police for blowing the slender white flowers from the top of a dandelion at a passing patrol car. I thought then, as I do now, that most cops suffer from testicular insecurity. Hence their need to pounce on anyone who shows even the most insignificant disrespect.

I think the next glitter bomb victim should give the next glitter bomb thrower a swift punch in the nose. A nice hard one that breaks it and makes it bleed quite heavily so that the TV cameras focus on it.

Off Topic @ bagoh20, your profile says ‘dog rescue’ and that you are located in LAReceived an urgent email regarding the need of homes for 2 dogs in the LA area, facing possible death due to a kennel closing. Youtube video on each dog.

The danger is that all I know is that someone's throwing a large white object at me that contains God knows what. Could be banana cream. Could be paint. Could be lye. Could be filled with needles. Could be anything, and I'm not going to wait to analyze it before I defend myself.

I agree with Pastafarian that glitter bombs are entry level, gateway bombs. Beyond this, it must be noted that they are inflicted in a discriminatory way. The targets always seem to be white Republicans. Glitter bombers would attract more sympathy if they occasionally targeted mullahs, black preachers, and Roland Martin. I would also recommend glittering George Michael just for spite.

I think the next glitter bomb victim should give the next glitter bomb thrower a swift punch in the nose. A nice hard one that breaks it and makes it bleed quite heavily so that the TV cameras focus on it.

One thing about Althouse - you can generally find a number of people's fantasies on display.

It is only Orwellian leftist methods to change the meaning of words in order to channel the thoughts of the weak-minded that got the National Socialists labeled as right-wing at all in the first place.

They focused on the "National" part...nationalism is often-associated with Conservatism, but it is neither a necessary nor sufficient part of Rightism nor Conservatism.

"Right Wing Fascism" is just a wonderful example of Leftist/liberal adulteration of language in order to facilitate the lock-step tribal groupthink that comforts and cocoons their adherents.

So the basic formulation of the leftist worldview is:Anything done by leftists/liberals/progressives/Democrats = good.Anything done by right wing/conservatives/GOP = bad and/or fascism (because they are good at picking up on emotional content of words, although sadly inept at semantic content, which is why the use of "niggardly" causes lefty fits).

I myself think if you attempt to throw anything on another person, and that other person had no idea what it is, then it's perfectly okay to pull a gun and stop them. It's assault, and possibly deadly assault.

One, it'll stop some of this thinking that "Oh, I'm special cause I smoke dicks, and harmless, and that guy is just a hater, and this will show them" passive-aggressive b.s.

Two, the I.Q. of the world will increase if these dummies are eliminated.

We are losing our collective minds and the will to live.Try to find the danger in a thrown banana cream pie.When will we realize recklessness is the gift to give?Sky diving that ends in splat beats a sticky-soft pigsty.

My play-niece got a bit of whatever in her eye, scratched her cornea, and developed an infection. Years.of.hell. Two corneal transplants, intractable pain at times, serious impact on her schooling and athleticism, a droopy eyelid, and wavy vision in one eye even now, five years later. So, yeah, I run with scissors at times, but metallic glitter in the eye or sinus (or lungs) is an unacceptable risk of glitter-bombing.

I think glitter bombs are great political tools and think someone should play that cool joke on Biden or the other guy for not shutting Gitmo and for killing innocents with drones. It would be cool and then they would change their minds and close Gitmo and quit killing people with drones.

On Tuesday night, a student at Colorado University at Denver was arrested by Secret Service for trying to throw glitter at Mitt Romney. Now sources are telling Colorado Peak Politics that the "glitter bomber" worked for the Colorado state Senate Democrats. This session.

The student in question, Peter Smith, faces up to 6 months in prison for "creating a disturbance, throwing a missile and an unlawful act on school property," according to Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson.

Our sources are saying he was fired by the Senate Democrats either yesterday or today.

To be fair to Democrats, they fired 'glitter boy' from his Dem state Senate job yesterday or today.... a Dem spokesperson told the media.

I also strongly agree with Sigivald

Sigivald said...Isn't it simple assault, as well?

Because it is, after all, un-welcome physical contact.

You don't get to throw objects at people simply because you don't like their views or policies.

That is the problem - certain infantile disturbed people think they presently have a moral right to initiate unwelcome physical contact or throw things at people they disagree with..They don't and judges need to start hammering them - be they spitters, glitter bombers, cons that throw urine and excrement and other special concoctions on guards (or just green light harsher prison admin punishments like no food for a week..)

O.T. Thanks Lemondog, I'll pass it on. Our rescue is swamped right now, and I have a house full of Pits myself, but maybe someone has room, It's always a long shot with this breed. Just simply too many in L.A.

It's obviously a form of terrorism because at first the candidate doesn't know what hit them. It could be anthrax, or some other poisonous substance. The bodyguards should shoot anyone who's in the act of throwing something at a candidate. There's no time to wait and see what's been thrown.

Exactly. The message is "we can enter your personal space and assault you at will". Doesn't matter that the "weapon" is harmless.

The PM, Jean Chretien, no cheese eating surrender monkey, grabbed the protester, choked him, forced him to the ground, busting his teeth in the process. http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/36/b2/221a72cc4e4bba6c5ab1eab83f5e.jpeg

Glitter is usally metalized polyvinyl chloride film. Discarding by throwing it at some could be consider and illegal disposal of hazardous waste. The fine for that is up to $32,500 per instance per day. Report the Bozo to the local CUPA and ask them to bring out the haz-mat team to clean up the waste. He will be billed for the clean up.

When are these courageous white gays going to glitter bomb the anti-gay marriage black bigot in the White House? Or is he too scary because he’s black?” Well, they don’t mind Obama’s opposition to gay marriage because they assume he’s lying.

I've had a scratched eye twice in my life, once due to my own carelesness and once due to assault. No lasting damage, fortunately, but it's unbelievably irritating because you feel it every time you move your eyes or blink, which is every couple of seconds.

Someone up-thread suggested that Obama should be the recipient of a cream pie or a glitter bomb for his stance regarding gays. The reason that will not happen is that Obama is one of those politicians that speak with a nod and a wink. He may say that he opposes gay marriage but everyone knows he doesn’t really; he doesn’t need to give a broad wink when he says it. He appears to be in a stable, monogamous marriage but would it shock anyone if some woman wrote a tell-all (as one of JFK’s teen lovers just did) about her adventures with Barack in the youth he spent on the beach in Hawaii snorting coke and smoking weed?

Coming from a Republican with well-known religious beliefs - George Bush comes to mind - invoking Christianity as the basis for a policy decision would be greeted with howls of outrage coupled with ridicule and the warning that the government was turning the country into a theocracy. Recently Obama cited his Christian belief as the rationale for tax hikes on the “rich.” So why are the only people noting the rise of the “Obama Theocracy” people on the Right?

Simple: no one on the Left believes for a moment that Obama means it.

So the gays, the atheists, the acid heads, the serial womanizers are not going to go after their man Barack. Just look at him, he’s cool with it, he just can’t come right out and say it because all those bitter clingers out there are needed at election time. But they know … they know.

That is the problem - certain infantile disturbed people think they presently have a moral right to initiate unwelcome physical contact or throw things at people they disagree with..

They also think that they are perfectly justified in taking any measures necessary to keep them from speaking, such as entering venues where they have been asked to speak and attempting to drown them out with noise and shouts or even to storm the stage.

What, after all, is the rationale for "glitter bombs"? To humiliate, right? Try that with a black or Hispanic or female candidate and you'll be called a racist or sexist. Only white candidates can be treated such.

The PM [of Canada], Jean Chretien, no cheese eating surrender monkey, grabbed the protester, choked him, forced him to the ground, busting his teeth in the process. http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/36/b2/221a72cc4e4bba6c5ab1eab83f5e.jpeg